'I was already prepared to start packing my bags and going home'

Posted: 5:38 PM, March 13, 2019Updated: 5:38 PM, March 13, 2019

HOUSTON - “She really defines what a champion is." That’s what television judge Simon Cowell thinks of Kechi Okwuchi, the Houston-based singer and motivation speaker who recently became a became a finalist on "America’s Got Talent: The Champions."

Okwuchi stopped by our studio to talk about the emotional time where Cowell gave her the golden buzzer on the show, which she considers one of the best moments of her life.

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“It’s incredible overwhelming and I remember every single thing about it because I did not expect any of that. Before that, he said that he didn’t quite like my performance, so I was already prepared to start packing my bags and going home, and then he reaches across. He moved like in slow motion in my head and I just almost couldn’t believe it,” said Okwuchi.

The 29-year-old Nigerian-born woman was one of two survivors in a plane crash that took the lives of 107 passengers in Nigeria in 2005. She began to sing at family events and trauma fundraisers and later became an advocate for multiple burn survivor organizations after being on season 12 of "America’s Got Talent" in 2017.

“The biggest gift I got from the show is the exposure that I received from it, where people were more aware of my story and my journey as a burn survivor and my voice of course,” said the MBA student, who is also an inspirational speaker and recently released her first single “Don’t You Dare.”

“I’m really hoping I can establish myself as much as possible in the music industry and in the speaking industry, because I love both,” she said.

To see Kechi’s complete interview and performance, watch the video above.